Night Life

After six and a half hours of driving, the feeling of finally being back home in Charleston... sooo relieving. Exhausted from an all too exciting weekend - my first bridesmaid experience and my best friend's wedding. I came home early to work at the gelateria for a couple hours -it was a rainy Sunday evening. It wasn't until closing time that I realized I had a late night errand to run. On my way, I realized life existed and thrived after 10pm. I've lived in Charleston since August, and came from a small town where the roads were clear by 8. As I drove, I saw people washing cars, manning late night drive thrus, and some were just meandering down Charleston streets. I realized that this town never stops - even after I hit the pillow night after night. So here is an ode to the late night crew, who work the night shifts and make life that much more convienant for the day timers. Here are a couple of late night snacks that won't pack on the pounds and will surely keep you going from dusk till dawn.

1. Rice cake layered with lite mayo, garlic powder, tomato and fresh basil, and topped with a fried egg.

2. favorite veggies and 1 T hummus

3. Larabar

4. Emerald nuts 100 calorie packs (coco almonds are fantastic!)

5. half an apple with 2 tsp almond or peanut butter

6. one small potato with 1/2 c salsa and 2 tbsp fat free sour cream (Wendy's anyone?)

7. 4-6 oz of nonfat or lowfat yogurt

8. airpopped popcorn (great sprinkled with cinnamon and chai for those with a sweet tooth)

9. cottage cheese and crackers

10. water packed tuna on wheat bread

Suspended

It was 6:32 am and at this moment I was speeding across the gridline streets of Charleston to see the sunrise...a phenomenon I take for granted every single day. I feel this is as appropriate as it gets for my first post - as the sunrise is the epitome of new beginnings. 6:42am and this was as far as I could make it on the bridge before the sun came up. We forget that we are suspended on Earth among the stars...

If going through the motions was a crime, I would surely be sentenced to life. I felt like life was passing me by, and so I decided to run the bridge and slow the passing of time at least for a little moment. Reason #2 for running the bridge: I felt the shame and aftermath after devouring extremely too many balsamic fudge cookies the night before.. only a part of my new found obsession with the Fat Free Vegan Kitchen http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/. Balsamic has sparked my amature culinary interest - this delightful vinegar is just enough to cut the sweetness in anything from gelato to baked goods....mmm...

In addition to being one of the elite 8 dietetic interns at MUSC, I work at a local gelato shop. I trick myself into thinking that if I eat enough gelato, I can will myself out of my lactose intolerance. This is definitely not the case, but the pain seems worth it for a cup of our renown marscapone and balsamic. I tweaked this recipe a little for gf purposes: I substituted 1 c. gluten free pantry all purpose flour and used powdered sugar instead of vanilla. These cookies melt in your mouth and definitely a recipe fulfilling my choco fix and one I'll bake again and again.